International Migration from a Comparative Perspective: Policies, Practices, and Outcomes

Dr Daniela Vintila is a postdoctoral researcher at the Centre for Ethnic and Migration Studies (University of Liege). Her research focuses on citizenship, immigrant integration, and political engagement. She is co-convenor of the ECPR SG Migration and Ethnicity, co-director of the IMISCOE SC Migration, Citizenship and Political Participation, and vice-chair of IPSA RC03 European Unification. Dr Gerasimos Tsourapas is a Lecturer at the University of Birmingham. His research focuses on the politics of migrants, refugees, and diasporas in the Middle East. He is coordinating three projects: “The International Politics of Middle East Migration: Problems, Policy, Practice”; “The Politics of Forced Migration in the Mediterranean: Interstate Bargaining and Issue-Linkage in Greece and Jordan”; and “Migration Diplomacy in the Eastern Mediterranean - Inter-State Politics of Population Mobility in the Middle East”. Over the past years, the issue of international migration has been gaining ground not only in domestic politics, but also at the international level. The so-called “refugee crisis”, the increasing salience of immigrant integration in political and societal debates, or the growing interest in cross-border dynamics demonstrate that migration is a prominent topic across European democracies. This Section discusses migration policies, politics, practices and outcomes by paying particular attention to: a) the mechanisms through which mobility reaches the political agenda; b) the institutional responses aiming to tackle concerns over immigrant integration; c) interactions between home and host countries and; d) the consequences of these policies for migrants’ lives. Scholars contributing to this Section will explore issues related to multi-level politics in migration management, the humanitarian protection policy framework, the forms of transnational political engagement, changing public attitudes towards migrants and the politicization of migrants’ access to welfare.